New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday said he had concrete information that many Congress MPs could carry out an “unexpected act” by reaching the spot where Prime Minister Narendra Modi sits and therefore he asked him not to come to the House to deliver his address.
If this incident had taken place, then this would have left the democratic traditions of the country in shreds, Birla said as the House reassembled at 3 PM.
In a sharp response to Birla’s remarks in the House, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged that Prime Minister Modi is “hiding behind” the Speaker and termed as “absolute lie” the claim that there was any plan to hurt Modi.
Lashing out at opposition members, the Speaker said the conduct of some of them in his office on Wednesday was not appropriate and in fact was “like a black spot”.
“With sadness I have to inform that some members displayed such behaviour in the House on Wednesday that had never been witnessed in its history,” he said.
The Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed dramatic scenes as women opposition MPs charged towards the prime minister’s seat holding banners ahead of his scheduled speech, leading to adjournment of proceedings for the day.
Modi was not present in the House, and BJP member P P Chaudhary was making his remarks on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address when the opposition members trooped into the Well of the House.
Birla said the dignity of the chair has been established in the Constitution.
“Never in history have political differences been dragged to the House. The conduct of the opposition members in the office of the Speaker was not appropriate and in fact it was like a black spot,” he said.
“When the Leader of the House was to reply (to the debate on the motion of thanks on the President’s address), I had concrete information that many members of the Congress party could carry out an unexpected act by reaching the spot where the prime minister sits,” he said.
“If this incident had taken place, this would have left the democratic traditions of the country in shreds. To avoid this, I requested the PM to not come to the House and as the Speaker it was my responsibility to uphold the dignity of the House,” Birla said.
The Speaker thanked Modi for acceding to his request and avoiding unpleasant scenes in the Lok Sabha by not coming to the House on Wednesday.
He warned opposition members that if they bring posters and pamphlets, House will not function. It will not function today and tomorrow also”.
Birla later adjourned the House for the day as opposition members raised slogans and protested.
Later, talking to reporters in the Parliament complex, Priyanka Gandhi said, “It is an absolute lie. There is no question of anybody raising hands on the prime minister, trying to hurt him or any such thing. There is no question. So it is absolutely wrong for anybody to say that there was any such plan, there was no such plan.”
“But if you are going to allow your members to quote books, talk nonsense, the opposition benches are going to protest. I am sorry, the prime minister is hiding behind the Speaker. They are making the speaker say all this because yesterday he did not have the guts to come in the House…because three women were standing before his bench, what nonsense is this,” the Congress MP said.
